The practice of law is a service business. This is especially true in the field of personal injury where the lawyer is representing clients with serious injuries and losses. When a lawyer does not provide the service a client needs or expects, the laywer fails the client in the most basic and important duties.When you have retained an attorney through a written retainer agreement, you have a right to expect the attorney to communicate with you and let you know what is going on in your case. If the attorney is not living up to this reasonable expectation, you should try to meet with the attorney in person to discuss your concerns and get the information you need. If the attorney will not meet with you, or if the attorney will not change his or her conduct to meet your needs and expectations, you may want to consider retaining another attorney and discharging your current attorney.
Changing attorneys is obviously not the best thing to do, but sticking with an attorney that keeps you in the dark and wondering if your important case is being handled in the best possible manner is worse. If the attorney client relationship with your lawyer becomes damaged by a lack of communication, and if your attorney is unable or unwilling to take the time and effort to listen to your concerns and fix the relationship, its time to move on.
If things get to that point, don’t discharge your current attorney until you can meet with another attorney and get some legal advise first. When you find an attorney you like and then retain him or her, your new attorney will advise you on how to best discharge the first attorney and arrange for the transfer of your file.
